Bissa, or Barka, represented by “bib,” is spoken in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo, primarily by the Bissa ethnic group. It belongs to the Gur language family under Niger-Congo and is spoken by over 600,000 people. The language has rich oral traditions and some variations across regions, particularly between Northern and Southern Bissa.

Social media and radio are highly effective channels for reaching Bissa speakers, especially in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Local radio programs are a primary source of information, while younger generations turn to mobile-friendly platforms.

Bissa culture emphasizes respect and hierarchy, which affects speech levels. Honorifics are often used in greetings, especially for elders and authority figures. Dialectal variations include Northern and Southern Bissa, which differ in pronunciation and vocabulary.

Bissa is written using the Latin script with some phonetic modifications. Standard fonts generally work, but linguistic materials may add diacritics. Text flows left-to-right.

Bissa includes tonal elements that affect meaning, with certain clicks and nasal sounds posing challenges to learners. Non-native speakers may find the tones complex to master.

Bissa primarily uses an SVO sentence structure. Verbs may change forms to convey tense and aspect, while nouns do not follow a strict gender system.

Bissa translation into media requires expansion, with about 10–15% inflation. Subtitles benefit from shorter phrasing to fit the spoken pace. Character lines should stay under 35 characters per line.

Nuances in Bissa expressions may not translate well directly. Concepts tied to local rituals or spirituality can be hard to adapt without changing the meaning.

Bissa text may encounter issues in rendering diacritics on basic platforms. Custom encoding might be needed for full linguistic representation.

Proverbs play a significant role, often focusing on resilience and family values. Symbolic animal references are common in stories.